Wild by Eve Langlais Read Free Book Online

would make them—
    His tiger stopped his circling series of questions with a very simple summation of the situation. Bite if enemy. No bite if ally. Bite if touching mate.
    Trust his feline to get to the heart of his choices.
    In order to make that determination, he needed a better handle on what was happening. At the far end of the bar was a door marked EMPLOYEES ONLY. The handle gave, and he swung it open on well-oiled hinges to reveal an empty hall with a few doors. One labeled DRESSING ROOM, another SUPPLIES, a third door marked as RESTROOM, and the one on the end, OFFICE.
    About eight feet from the door, his ears perked as the rumble of voices came to him. Given that the scents he followed grew stronger the closer he got to the office, the more it seemed safe to assume he faced just two male bears.
    He paused to strain and listen.
    â€œâ€¦ hand me those zip ties for her ankles and wrists. We don’t want her escaping in case she wakes up.”
    â€œI say we kill her now. Make sure she doesn’t wake.”
    â€œRemember our orders. No signs of foul play. We have to make this look like an accident.”
    â€œWon’t the medical examiner notice the bump to her noggin or the fact she was tied?”
    Brody tensed at the mention of his mate getting knocked in the head. If she was unconscious, that would explain her silence.
    â€œShe’ll be at the heart of the fire we’re starting in her trash bin. There won’t be evidence of nothing except she tried to burn some papers. The fire marshal will rule the flames got out of control and torched her.”
    Burned alive? Brody winced. Even by bad-guy standards that was pretty darned cruel. Good thing he’d arrived in time to rescue his mate. The thing was, how should he proceed? Outnumbered by bears and him without a weapon. Not that many shifters carried weapons. It was considered unsporting.
    As he saw it, he had only a few choices. Waiting until they set the fire, left the office, and came at him in the hall, a narrow passageway that would allow him to tackle them one at a time. Good for him if they were tough, bad for Lulu, as it meant giving the flames a chance to spread and for toxic smoke to choke her.
    Another option was to charge into the office. Him against the pair. He’d be at a disadvantage in hand-to-hand combat against the two men. If he remained human. As his tiger, though, he could totally have some fun.
    Play with the bears. His inner tiger practically chased its tail in excitement. It did so love teddies, especially when he got a chance to rip out their stuffing.
    As a teen, Brody used to go to the county fair, and with his quick reflexes and honed aim, manage to win the giant stuffed animals the carnival games offered. He’d drag the giant blue gorillas home, or the ridged dinosaur painted purple and green. Then he’d swap skin and let his tiger go wild. Meow .
    Such fun, except when it came time to clean up the fluff. To this day, his mother still swore she vacuumed up bits.
    These bears would have the gooey stuffing, which would prove messy. And loud, probably. Here was to hoping Lulu didn’t regain consciousness during the battle, or else it might be kind of hard to explain how two bears and a tiger came to be fighting in her office.
    Unsure of how much time he had before the bears set the fire, Brody stripped quickly.
    He set his things aside, wishing he’d worn track pants and a T-shirt instead of a full suit today. Then again, when he’d woken this morning, eager to see Lulu, he’d wanted to impress her with his white-collar status. He’d not expected he’d have to wear his tiger suit at one point.
    Naked, Brody paused for a listen. His breathing stopped as he heard the distinctive click of a lighter. Out of time.
    Or not.
    Bumbling bears bungling their burglary. Say that fast five times.
    â€œStupid lighter.” Click . Click . Click . “I think it’s out of